May the 4th be with us, as I churn out a blog that contains more songs than there have been Star Wars sequels (11 songs, to be precise)! Let's begin, shall we?!
"Alphabetland" by X: Interesting that a band whose name consists of only one letter of the alphabet (and one of the rarest, at that) has put out a song about the entire alphabet...well, kind of. "Alphabetland" is just a catchy and quirky song title from the Los Angeles punk quartet, X, who have not released an album with all four original members in 35 years! As the members of the band rotated during the late '80s and early '90s, X went for more of a plaintive folk-rock influenced sound. With "Alphabetland", that sound is gone, and in its place is the original fiery yet melodic punk sound that X started with. "Alphabetland" could be best described as The White Stripes trying to cover "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones. It's a bit hard to tell upon first listen what the song is actually about, but fans of X will not be let down by this surprising new release in their catalog. A title like "Alphabetland" would not be out of place on Sesame Street...speaking of which, no one has ever told us how to get there. Perhaps Exene, John, DJ, and Billy could tell us how to get, how to get to Alphabetland?!
"Blank Slate" by Chicano Batman: Chicano Batman just keep getting funkier and funkier with each song they release. Their latest song, "Blank Slate", seems like a Talking Heads-ish dance track mixing techno beats and funk guitars. Lyrically, the song's excitement is conveyed in its lyrics about newfound desire for love. "I just wanna love you" seems to be the central line in the song. Chicano Batman, we already loved you!
"Don't Let Me Down" by Milky Chance (featuring Jack Johnson): Not to be confused with the Beatles song of the same name, "Don't Let Me Down"'s chill brand of funk-rock is nothing new for German indie-pop duo, Milky Chance. For Jack Johnson, however, it's a whole new world. Jack Johnson has been kind of like the millennial answer to the '70s Jimmy Buffett, combining acoustic guitar soft rock with blissed out tropical island vibes. Jack briefly flirted with electric guitar music in the early 2010's, but he's never gone guitar-LESS...until now, that is. Milky Chance's songs could also be described as having super blissful vibes, so in that sense, they fit well with Jack Johnson. Between this song and the last one I reviewed for this week, this year's early summer is shaping up to be a pretty chill one so far!
"Hold Me" by The Teskey Brothers: The Teskey Brothers mid-summer adult alt radio smash, "So Caught Up", had a strong Motown/'60s soul influence. "Hold Me" reaches even further back into the history of R & B music, sounding almost like a gospel song in comparison. There is no noticeable instrumentation until midway through the song. Until that point, "Hold Me" is defined mostly by handclaps, in a similar manner to a great number of gospel and early blues tunes. The title, "Hold Me", is not merely a desire to be in a relationship, but one of brotherhood, both in the literal and spiritual sense of the term. It's almost like this song is trying to be a 21st century update of "Lean On Me". Nice try, if that's the case...but it'll never hold up to that song!
"Hometown Heroes" by Moon Taxi: We've had quite a few blissed out summer songs on this week's blog so far. Moon Taxi are normally experts on this sort of song, but "Hometown Heroes" is a different flavor than most of their material. It is a bittersweet folk-rock song, in contrast to the blend of reggae, funk, and indie-pop that defines most of Moon Taxi's material. Sooo...why the change in sound?! Well, part of the reason for that is likely because of what the song is about. Moon Taxi wanted to give their fans hope during our current pandemic. A song that conjured up images of summertime and partying would not get their message across seriously, so instead they opted for a light indie-folk sound to thank all of the heroes who have helped out during this unexpected world crisis. As they say, not all heroes wear capes!
"I Contain Multitudes" by Bob Dylan: Unlike Moon Taxi, Bob Dylan (of course) is no stranger to bittersweetness. This is the mood that Dylan chose for his latest song, "I Contain Multitudes". Mr. Dylan most certainly DOES contain multitudes, being one of the most enigmatic musicians out there! It's amazing he's still alive today, and that in itself seems to be part of the musical rumination of "I Contain Multitudes". Dylan himself seems to be amazed he is still surviving with the stark mode of this song and its complex lyrics, during which he name drops many celebrities and characters, including Anne Frank, Indiana Jones, and The Rolling Stones, and referencing David Bowie without actually mentioning him. Dylan compares himself to many during the course of this song, but in the end, Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan. There can be no other!
"Light of Love" by Florence and The Machine: Florence Welch and co are the next of many who have shared songs that are relevant to the outbreak of COVID-19. Although her latest song, "Light of Love", is not actually about that, she probably chose to release it now because of how people have been impacted the sudden societal separation that the coronavirus' impact has resulted in for us. "In every one of us shines the light of love", Florence sweetly sings over a sorrowful yet tuneful bed of string instruments. In a similar theme to one of FATM's biggest hits, "Shake It Out", "Light of Love" seems to be about the regret that can be experienced from partying too much on a previous night. Of course, Florence, like all of us, realizes there will be no party for quite awhile now, but the regret we've been feeling inside is no different. If a coronavirus victim's last song happens to be this one, it could serve a strong purpose as a bittersweet lullaby for them to sail away from the shackles of mortal life and into the realm of a sparkling orchestra of eternity!
"Private Lives" by Low Cut Connie: Wow...I must admit, the last three songs have really made me cry on the inside! So let's lighten the mood, shall we? Enter Philadelphia blues-rock outfit, Low Cut Connie, to chase away your sadness! Utilizing a Black Crowes-ish groove over a "Please, Mr. Postman" styled melody, "Private Lives" exposes the bizarre, screwed up side of human nature. Sex addicts, drug addicts, nudists...all are mentioned or referred to in this song, which emphasizes the message of how "deviant" behavior is just the way some of us live, and that we should just continue to live our lives normally instead of dwelling on our wrongdoings or being afraid that people will judge us for the "weird" or "bad" things we do.
"Real Long Time" by White Reaper: Like The Cars before them, White Reaper saddle hard rock guitar riffs and rope them into a synth-studded new wave atmosphere. White Reaper's breakthrough summer hit, "Might Be Right", set them on the right track with this unique sound. "Real Long Time" continues in this direction, amping up the classic rock influences even more so than they did on their previous single. 1970's rock groups ranging from Kiss, Cheap Trick, Queen, Sweet, and Thin Lizzy can all be heard as influences in White Reaper's "Real Long Time". It is an irresistibly cheesy yet anthemic rock and roll tune that stands in the corner between glam rock and punk rock. Songs like this one sound like they were made for "That '70s Show", a show centered around nostalgia that has now become nostalgia itself. Someday, White Reaper will end up that way too, but while they're still hot, give 'em a listen! You won't be sorry!
"The Good Life" by Devon Gilfillian: Like our previous entry, Devon Gilfillian's "The Good Life" seems like it traveled to us on a time machine built in the 1970's. This time, though, the focus is on early '70s R & B, as opposed to mid '70s rock. "The Good Life" seems like it could fit easily on a Marvin Gaye album from that era. In addition to its nostalgic sound, "The Good Life"'s subject matter could also be interpreted as nostalgic. The song opens with the lyrics, "I remember yesterday, troubles seemed so far away, making castles in the sand", setting the tone for the rest of the song, which is basically just Devon reminiscing about better times during his life. A deeper meaning of the song might be construed as a plea for all of us to get along with one another, echoing the theme of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" in a lighter but still powerful shade of soul!
"You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks" by Brittany Howard: Our final entry of the week is not actually a Brittany Howard song. It was originally by the eclectic soul-rock fusion group, Funkadelic, and it also marks the second time I've blogged about a song originally by Funkadelic, the first being Mavis Staples' cover of "Can You Get to That?" from 2013. Howard manages to add a blues-y flavor to "You And Your Folks..." that the original version only had a subtle hint of. The song originally came out in 1971. Coincidentally, this was the same year Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" came out, and both songs aimed for a similar purpose of trying to instill a sense of unity amongst a divided world. With the massive amount of civil unrest we have experienced in the past few years, Brittany Howard's saucy, powerful take on the Funkadelic classic has arrived just in time!
